Crash

1. What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie?  Support your answer with examples.

I believe that the message that the director is trying to express is the problems with the “single story.”  We have stereotypes of people, and it effects how we treat certain groups of people.  I also think the director wanted to show how we live lives so closely related, yet we don’t know much about each other; when we “crash” into each other, it can cause issues but we can learn things that we were blind to before.

2. If applicable, discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not?

I think that some things in the movie are situational, but a lot of the things are accurate.  One thing that is accurate is the feelings the different races have towards each other.  Another thing that is accurate is the stereotypes that are put on certain groups of people.  When the “good cop” at the end of the movie shoots and kills the black guy, I believe that was situational.  I don’t think it comes down to physical violence the majority of the time.  However, I do think that a white man with a black guy in his car may have a guard up and be nervous around them.  I do think every one of these things in this movie have probably happened in one way or another. 

3. Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I think that the director has had to have studied and been around a lot of different people.  I don’t know if his background played a role, however it wouldn’t surprise me if they have had similar situations happen to him.  He clearly understands the unfairness surrounded with stereotyping people and felt it was necessary to show the harm and damage that it can do. 

4. What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

Any “group” portrayed in this movie could look at it in a bad light.  They are all shown stereotyping at one point or another.  Black people may be offended because the two main black guys steal cars.  White people may be offended because think come off in this movie as “thinking they are better than others.” Cops could be offended because they are portrayed as bad guys at certain points in the movie.  I think any race/culture/ethnicity/gender/nationality/class could be offended with this movie, but if they really look at the message that the director is trying to show us I don’t think they will be. 

5. What the movie added to your visual literacy?

I have watched this movie many times in the past, and I’ve always enjoyed the message that it sent.  I think that putting together such as great story and showing situations that could/do happen in real life effects the way I think about stereotyping much more than just discussing it.  Seeing situations happen in front of me lets myself in the characters mind more and helps be better understand my own stereotypes and the “single stories” I may have. 

6. What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

There was“darkness” to this movie that I noticed throughout the whole thing.  The lighting made the movie appear more serious, and give us a sense that there was something serious happening.  I also noticed that a lot of the times, the characters were shown “straight on” and not from any angle that may suggest one thing or another.  I may be making an assumption, but I believe this may have been to show everyone as equal throughout the entire movie, and to show each character as an individual. 

http://www.contactmusic.com/movie-review/crash2004

http://www.ahashare.com/torrents-details.php?id=121324

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews17/crash_dvd_review.htm

Thank You for Smoking

1. What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie?  Support your answer with examples.

I liked the quote "Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk. Everyone has a talent” because it sums up the movie for me.  The main character is great at debate and has made a career of it.  The message expressed in this movie is that everyone looks out for themselves in some sort of way.  Being a lobbyist for the tobacco companies has done Naylor good, while it has hurt others.  It’s a tug of war between good and evil in this movie.  It really gets you to think about the purpose of the tobacco companies and other companies that make money from something potentially harmful to others.  

 

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/thank-you-for-smoking/2000

2. If applicable, discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not?

I could see the smokers as minorities.  They are an accurate depiction of someone who are often taken advantage of through media and other sources that are trying to sell cigarettes as a non-harmful product.  Naylor and others that are lobbying for tobacco could also be seen as minorities because there are a lot of people against their ideas and views, such as when Naylor received threats. 

3. Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

There is defiantly a cultural background that influenced this movie.  In our culture we see advertisements that are persuasive and often manipulative.  This movie shows the different angles you can look at this problem.  This director may have been directly influenced by tobacco companies or seen it done throughout their life.

4. What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

Tobacco companies may be offended by the way they are portrayed.  The main character seems to make them seem “evil” and “heartless” in some instances.  Also people who are affected by tobacco may be offended by this movie.  I don’t see any class, gender, color, or nationality in particular being offended by this. 

5. What the movie added to your visual literacy?

This movie shows the effect that movies, and advertising can have on selling a product.  There are people who are very talented at making something that may be viewed as negative, seem very positive.  It’s a battle between what is good advertising and what can make our society have views that may be altered by these people and their ability to show a different side to such a harmful thing. 

6. What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

The cover was a great visual and it really made me interested in the movie.  I have always had a view that tobacco was a bad thing, so it made me wonder how the director could make turn it around and put it into a positive light.  

 

 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427944/

Waste Land (2010)

1. What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie?  Support your answer with examples.

I think Vik Muniz is trying to help the people who work in this landfill recognition.  He’s trying to help them take a step forward.  There was one man who wanted to build a library and he helps them succeed.  He understands their living conditions and is out to give them better lives.  I think the reason he wanted to show the world this is because it shows we can all help someone in our own way.  At the beginning he talks about how it’s important to talk with people not only for understanding, but it gets them away from their problems for just a few minutes.  Simple things like that can make a big difference. 

2. If applicable , discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not?

This movie mainly showed the people of Jardim Gramacho, which is the world’s largest dump located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.  It didn’t show any minorities because all of the people appeared to come from this same area a culture. 

3. Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I think that how the people are represented are a direct influence of the director.  I believe that the director portrayed them in a positive light, and gave the people a chance to share their stories and become recognized.  The director had to have had a personal connection to this to make something so awful into something very beautiful and moving. 

4. What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

I can’t think of anyone who would be offended by this movie.  I think it was a great social project that everyone should see.  I could see, however, some of the people in this movie thinking we are feeling sorry for them at some points. 

5. What the movie added to your visual literacy?

At the beginning, the artist in this movie said that art and humanity are tied together.  What I learned from this movie is that you can help people by doing what you love.  This man found a way to help people and make their lives into art.  He gave them faces and told their stories rather than just letting the world forget about them. 

6. What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

I thought it was great that they had so much footage from right on the landfill site. The photographs and art that the Vik Muniz has created were also captivating.  I also liked the view from the top of the plane when they first got there.  The whole movie was inspired by making art so there were such great artistic pieces that drew me in throughout the whole movie. 

7. Additional comments/and or analysis/and or other movies recommendations (optional).

I recommend keeping this film on the movie list. I thought it was inspiring it and I enjoyed it all the way throughout.  It sent a great message and showed amazing people and art.

 Art pjece created by Vik Muniz inspired by a Jardim Gramacho land fill worker

Image Via http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/waste-land

Artist Vik Muniz

Via http://www.wastelandmovie.com/vik-muniz.html

Making products more appealing (AHA! Blog Post 2)

I saw a fun fact come across my twitter today.  It stated that beer advertisement adds liquid soap to their beer in the commercials to make the beer appear foamier.  This got me thinking, what else advertisements do to make the product more appealing?  I know an obvious one has been about altering what girls look like.  But what else have they done?  I did some research and here is what I have come up with:

There are tons of tricks to make food more appealing on TV.  Motor oil is used as a replacement for dull-looking syrups due to the fact that it shines in the light.  Shaving cream is used instead of whipped cream because it’s less runny and is easier to shape. Spray deodorant is used to make certain fruits shine. Cotton balls are soaked in water, microwaved, and placed behind foods for some instant steam.

When advertising on a poster or billboard, you don’t want your words to be distracting. The website I was reading said that twice as many readers will look at a photo than read a headline.  Therefore, you have to be able to sell your product through your visual.  It also said that about 1/3 of readers will stop after reading the first 50 words. An additional 25% will stop reading after 200 words.  Therefore, keep words on an advertisement minimal. 

I’m sure there are many tricks to this trade, but there are a few I found most interesting.  It’s obvious that good imagery sells. Below are a few examples of using imagery to sell products.

 

http://www.maurieandeve.com/_blog/Maurie_and_Eve/post/For_the_Love_of_Burgers/

 

http://www.northeasttoday.in/our-states/arunachal-pradesh/40-loss-of-fresh-produce-of-fruits-and-vegetables-due-to-improper-harvesting/

 

https://www.rentcenter.co.il/uploads/2011/02/10/

Sources
http://www.myprofessionaladvertising.com/More%20Effective%20Advertising.htm

http://www.petapixel.com/2012/08/02/random-things-you-can-use-to-make-food-photos-more-appealing/